A second bid to demolish a former care home and replace it with sheltered housing for the elderly is being recommended for refusal.

In September, a planning inspector throw out Churchill Retirement Living’s appeal against the non-determination by East Devon District Council of its plans for closed 23-bed former Green Close care home in Sidford.

Churchill Retirement Living had submitted revised plans to build 39 one and two-bedroom apartments on the site, up from 36 previously, and the plans included an off-site contribution of £423,576, but no provision for on-site affordable housing.

But East Devon District Council planners are being recommended to refuse the application when they meet next Tuesday.

The application includes communal facilities, landscaping, parking for 24 vehicles, and access to the Drakes Avenue site.

The former Green Close care home in Sidford

It says: “There would be no negative impacts resulting from the proposed development, but it would deliver significant benefits. It would assist in providing elderly housing in Sidmouth and Sidford and the location of the development will make a positive and sustainable contribution to the local economy.

“It would see the redevelopment of a derelict underutilised and tired Brownfield site and would relinquish the burden on the elderly in terms of cost of running and maintaining a house, reduce elderly loneliness and isolation, and provide a purpose-built accommodation more suited to the frailty associated with the elderly.”

But a report to the development management committee says: “The scheme makes no provision for on-site affordable housing but offers an off-site contribution of £423,576 which, together with a deduction for 'vacant building credit' (VBC), the applicant believes provides an equivalent to 50 per cent affordable housing provision in accordance with Strategy 34 of the Local Plan.

“However, it is not considered that VBC should be applied in this instance as the proposal does not comply with the criteria in the Affordable Housing SPD detailing when VBC will be applied, and given the high need for affordable housing in Sidmouth which outweighs the need for seeing the site developed in its proposed form for older persons housing.

“The applicant has offered a financial contribution that is below the £654,870 that would be required if VBC were applied and has not put forward a viability case and will not agree to an overage clause Even if vacant building credit is applied, the contribution amount being offered falls short of the amount required by the affordable housing calculator.

“In the absence of a viability argument, and with no agreement to an overage clause, and on the basis that the current financial offer falls well short of a policy compliant amount, the application is considered to be contrary to Strategy 34 and is recommended for refusal.”

Sidmouth town council had recommended that the application be refused.

The Green Close care home was built in 1971 but closed in 2014 after Devon County Council cutbacks.

Churchill Retirement Living plans to demolish the former Green Close care home and build 39 apartments

Plans to demolish a former Sidford care home and replace it with 39 sheltered accommodation flat development has been rejected.

East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) development management committee voted today to support officers’ recommendations to refuse the application as it’s affordable housing offer was not police compliant and ‘unacceptable’.

Churchill Retirement Living submitted a new application for the Green Close site to build 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments - the previous scheme was made up of 36. The scheme includes communal facilities, landscaping, parking for 25 vehicles, and access to the Drakes Avenue site.

Churchill’s previous application, submitted in August 2017, was thrown out by a government planning inspector. Churchill had appealed following EDDC’s non-determination of its proposals for the former 23-bed care home in Sidford.

An EDDC planning officer recommended the latest application be refused as it still did not include ‘an adequate amount of affordable housing’ or a ‘provision of an overage clause’.

The applicant amended its proposals before today’s meeting to increase its financial contribution towards affordable housing by £200,000 to £654,870.

It also offered to ensure works are commenced within six months of permission given on the basis a Vacant Building Credit (VBC) and no overage clause would be applied.

The applicant said it wished to avoid an overage clause as it wants to keep its costs ‘private and confidential’ and out of the public domain, where their competitors may be able to use them to seek an advantage.

The Green Close care home was built in 1971 but closed in 2014 due to Devon County Council cutbacks.